Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) wine and (b) beer was consumed in pure alcohol in litres per capita in each year since 1999, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization's European health for all database

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the pure alcohol consumption in litres per capita was in each year since 1999, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.

Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer to S2W-10353 answered on 27 September 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Alcohol Misuse

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the consumption of pure alcohol was in litres per capita for people aged 15 or over in each year since 1999, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization's European health for all database.

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the spirits consumed in pure alcohol in litres per capita was in each year since 1999, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.

Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer to S2W-10305 answered on 27 September 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http:// www .scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Alcohol Misuse

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on alcohol rehabilitation services in each year since 1997.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive allocated £3 million specifically for alcohol support and treatment services for the first time in 2004-05. Details of mainstream spending on these services by NHS boards and local authorities is not held centrally although some information on the level of spend by NHS boards collected through Corporate Action Plans is available at:

  www.alcoholinformation.isdscotland.org/alcohol_misuse.

Autism

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Social Work Statistics Branch Audit of Services for People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder which found that over 3,400 children have been identified as having autistic spectrum disorder and given that the condition was previously significantly less prevalent, what steps are being taken to clinically examine these children to establish the cause of their condition.

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 3,400 children in Scotland identified as having autistic spectrum disorder have received a clinical examination to identify the underlying causes of their condition since 1998, when it was hypothesised that the MMR Vaccine may be the cause of autism and that it may be an iatrogenic condition.

Rhona Brankin: Information from this baseline study indicated that over 3,400 children and young people were identified as having been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder. The figures provided produce a prevalence rate of 35 children per 10,000, which is less than the estimated prevalence rate of 60 per 10,000 in the Public Health Institute of Scotland’s Autistic Spectrum Disorders Needs Assessment Report.

  The Medical Research Council (MRC) has been given £2.75 million to take forward the research agenda set out in the MRC Review of Autism. As this agenda will encourage a programme of research across all aspects of autism, this is the appropriate vehicle for testing hypotheses about possible causes and treatment.

Autism

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Social Work Statistics Branch Audit of Services for People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder which found that over 3,400 children have been identified as having autistic spectrum disorder and given that the condition was previously significantly less prevalent, whether the Minister for Health and Community Care will make a statement on this issue.

Rhona Brankin: In May 2002, during a parliamentary debate on Autism Awareness Week, the then Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care made a statement about the Scottish Executive’s commitment to improving services for people with autistic spectrum disorders and their families, through implementation of the Public Health Institute of Scotland’s Needs Assessment Report. That report recommended the service audit to which the member refers. This work is on-going, making a further statement from the minister unnecessary at this time.

Autism

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Social Work Statistics Branch Audit of Services for People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder which found that over 3,400 children have been identified as having autistic spectrum disorder and given that the condition was previously significantly less prevalent, why the Chief Medical Officer has not previously reported the prevalence of the condition in his annual report.

Rhona Brankin: In his annual report Health in Scotland 2002 the Chief Medical Officer advised that the Executive had commissioned the then Public Health Institute of Scotland to co-ordinate a needs assessment on Autistic Spectrum Disorders in Scotland. The project brief was for a report comprising an epidemiological review, a description of services and an assessment of the extent to which children, young people and adults with ASD and their carers, receive appropriate and adequate support.

  Their report was published in February 2002. Hyperlinks to both reports are attached below.

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/health/his02-00.asp.

  http://www.phis.org.uk/pdf.pl?file=publications/Autistic%20Spectrum%20Disorders.pdf.

Autism

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Social Work Statistics Branch Audit of Services for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder which found that over 3,400 children have been identified as having autistic spectrum disorder and in view of the government figures that the lifetime cost for each child is £2.94 million to the taxpayer, what steps are being taken to inform the Parliament of planned budgetary alterations to accommodate the growing lifetime cost of over £10 billion.

Rhona Brankin: The figure of £2.94 million is not a government figure. It is cited in the Public Health Institute of Scotland’s Needs Assessment Report as the estimated lifelong cost for a person with autistic spectrum disorder and learning disability, with costs for those without learning disability estimated as £785,000. These estimates were produced by Jarbrink and Knapp from previously published international evidence.

  There are no plans to make budgetary alterations in the light of the audit of services for people with autistic spectrum disorders.

Bridges

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of the economic, social and environmental impact of a toll-free Tay Road Bridge.

Nicol Stephen: As part of the current Tolled Bridges Review a range of tolling options was looked at for each of the tolled bridges in Scotland including for the Tay Road Bridge both increasing and removing the tolls. The outcome of the first phase of the review will be published in due course.

Communities

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the portrayal of Campbeltown recently broadcast in a BBC documentary, what proposals it has to help regenerate the Kintyre peninsula; what action it proposes to take to improve the environment of Campbeltown; what proposals it has to improve the quality of life for the whole population and, in particular, the younger generation, and whether it has any plans to reclassify appropriate areas of the Argyll and Bute area to island status so that it can achieve a level of funding sufficient to meet the needs of the population.

Mr Jim Wallace: The claimant count unemployment rate in the Campbeltown area is currently below the Scottish average (South Kintyre ward 2.1% compared with 3.4% for Scotland).

  However, the Scottish Executive’s economic development agency, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, recognises Campbeltown and the Kintyre peninsula as a fragile area and thus eligible for higher levels of network intervention to stimulate economic regeneration. There have been a number of significant interventions including investment of £9 million in a building to accommodate the wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Celtic in the Campbeltown area in 2002. The company now employs 200 in Kintyre.

  Evidence of the impact of these interventions can be seen in the sharp upturn in new business starts. In the period from April 1994 to March 2002 the number of new business starts assisted each year averaged nine. During 2002-03, 35 businesses received start–up assistance and this increased to 43 in 2003-04. These are significant numbers of new starts in an area with a population of 10,000.

Dentistry

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to improve the provision of dental services in Fife.

Rhona Brankin: Responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in the area rests with NHS Fife. NHS boards are encouraged to apply to Scottish ministers for approval for salaried dentist posts where they consider that there is a gap in provision, which cannot be filled by other means.

Dentistry

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to improve the provision of dental services in the NHS Forth Valley area.

Rhona Brankin: Responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in the area rests with NHS Forth Valley. NHS boards are encouraged to apply to Scottish ministers for approval for salaried dentist posts where they consider that there is a gap in provision, which cannot be filled by other means.

Digital Technology

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the dropping of the broadband target, as referred to in Annex B to Draft Budget 2005-06 , is consistent with the commitment by the Deputy First Minister on 16 September 2004 "to ensure that every community in Scotland will have access to, and make effective use of, broadband services" by the end of 2005 ( Official Report c 10227).

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications of the dropping of the broadband target, as referred to in Annex B to Draft Budget 2005-06 , are for the procurement process for ensuring that telephone exchanges not covered in the list of exchanges which BT is prepared to enable for broadband are so enabled.

Nicol Stephen: We are committed to extending broadband connectivity for every community in Scotland and to achieve this by the end of 2005. This is laid out in the Draft Budget 2005-06's Statement of Priorities.

  This broadband commitment is not featured as one of the Annual Evaluation Report(AER) targets in the Draft Budget, because AER targets are tied in with the spending review process and concentrate on longer term Executive priorities.

Digital Technology

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the commitment made on 16 September 2004 by the Deputy First Minister to ensure that all of Scotland is broadband enabled by the end of 2005 ( Official Report c 10227) should be regarded as one of its targets.

Nicol Stephen: Our commitment to ensuring broadband access in every community in Scotland is a commitment which we aim to achieve by the end of 2005. It is not appropriate for this to be one of the formal Annual Evaluation Report targets, as these are tied in with the spending review process and concentrate on longer term Executive priorities.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on drug rehabilitation services in each year since 1997.

Rhona Brankin: Net expenditure on substance misuse is set out in the following table. This shows actual expenditure between 1997-98 and 2002-03; along with the Provisional Outturn for 2003-04 and the Budget Estimate for 2004-05:

  

1997-98
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


Expenditure
(£000)
Expenditure
(£000)
Expenditure
(£000)
Expenditure
(£000)
Expenditure
(£000)
Expenditure
(£000)
Provisional Outturn
(£000)
Budget Estimate
(£000)


9,112
7,760
8,749
9,513
11,834
23,285
22,417
23,562



  Source: SE_FCSD Statistical Support for Local Government.

  (a) Expenditure: LFR3 Return.

  (b) Provisional Outturn 03-04, Budget Estimate 04-05: POBE 2004.

  Notes:

  1. Loan charges have been excluded for all years.

  2. Figures have been adjusted to reflect current prices using GDP Deflators.

  3. From 2002-03 onwards, figures include previously unallocated community care expenditure.

  Substance misuse covers both alcohol and drug misuse: it is understood that most of the expenditure is on drug rehabilitation services.

Drug Misuse

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why, according to its statistics, of the 30,319 cases of possession of drugs cleared up by the police in 2002-03, only 5,091 proceeded to court and what action was taken in relation to the other offenders.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive Justice Department database shows a total of 8,562 individual offences of possession of drugs that proceeded to court in 2002, of which 6,288 resulted in a charge proved.

  Comparison of the statistics currently available on recorded crime and persons proceeded against in court for possession of drugs need to be treated with caution as the different way in which these statistics are recorded means that they cannot be compared on a like for like basis.

  For example, the recorded crime figures count charges and treat each type of drug a person is found in possession of as a separate offence, while proceedings in court count accused and may allege multiple charges against one accused. Further, where the alleged offender is under the age of 16 the offender will not be prosecuted in court although these cases will be included in recorded crime figures. Finally, the court figures will not include cases that are not prosecuted, either because of evidential difficulties or because an alternative to prosecution such as a fiscal fine is deemed appropriate.

Environment

Gordon Jackson (Glasgow Govan) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of the status of Network Rail with regard to environmental assessments and public consultation with Scottish Natural Heritage and interested parties on plans with a significant environmental impact.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes (Scotland) Regulations 2004, applies to authorities who are "exercising functions of a public character". Under these regulations the onus is on Network Rail to consider if they are carrying out functions of a "public character" and therefore if their plans or programmes are subject to the regulations.

  Where individual proposals require environmental impact assessment under the planning provisions of the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1999, then the related environmental statement would have to be the subject of public consultation and consultation with Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Health and Safety Executive, the adjoining planning authority, the water and sewerage authorities and the Scottish ministers. These consultation requirements are the responsibility of the planning authority and are in addition to the consultation requirements regarding the related planning application.

Football

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to investigate the (a) impact on professional football clubs and (b) implications for local communities associated with professional football clubs of the decision by the Pools Promoters Association to stop payments to the Scottish Football League for the copyright of fixture lists.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: It is for football to consider the implications of the decision of the Pools Promoters Association. I recognise the potential impact the decision may have on clubs, particularly those in the Scottish Football League, and their communities. However, I hope that negotiations will continue and that a resolution can be achieved which is acceptable to both sides.

Fuel Poverty

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what projections it has for any increase in hospital admissions from "at risk" groups such as elderly people and those on low incomes as a result of such groups not being able to support their basic energy needs.

Mr Andy Kerr: No such projections are produced. ISD Scotland has developed a web-based system, "System Watch", which aims to monitor and predict pressure within the NHS in Scotland. The system monitors emergency and elective activity in hospitals and provides predictions of emergency admission and bed numbers for up to three weeks ahead.

  To tackle fuel poverty the Scottish Executive introduced the Warm Deal home insulation programme and the central heating programme. Through those programmes, more than 200,000 homes have been insulated and more than 43,000 heating systems have been installed. By 2006, all pensioners and social tenants will have central heating.

G8 Summit

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what aspects of VisitScotland’s marketing strategy are specifically designed to maximise the tourism opportunities afforded by the hosting of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in 2005.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: A VisitScotland team is working to maximise the benefits which will arise for Scotland from our hosting the G8 Summit at Gleneagles, and VisitScotland is also contributing to the Executive’s own planning for the event. The aim is to use the substantial media presence at the G8 summit to demonstrate to the world Scotland’s capability to successfully host the biggest and most prestigious global conferences, and to showcase all that Scotland has to offer as a must-visit destination for visitors to our country.

Health

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Eye Care Review, launched in March 2004, to report.

Rhona Brankin: It is anticipated that an initial report will be available to ministers in spring 2005.

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to fund the provision of CD portable oxygen cylinders for patients who clinically require an oxygen flow rate of eight litres per minute in the NHS Ayrshire and Arran area.

Mr Andy Kerr: Patients whose hospital consultants consider CD portable cylinders to be clinically necessary can obtain them free of charge through the hospital service.

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it funds the provision of CD portable oxygen cylinders for patients who clinically require an oxygen flow rate of eight litres per minute in any NHS board area and, if so, in which areas.

Mr Andy Kerr: CD portable oxygen cylinders are not available for GP prescribing. However, where a hospital consultant considers a CD portable cylinder to be clinically necessary, it can be supplied to the patient free of charge through the hospital service.

Health

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the spending stream "Health Improvement" under the level 3 heading "Health Improvement" in Draft Budget 2005-06 will be used for.

Rhona Brankin: The funding will be used to support the health improvement priorities outlined in the Draft Budget 2005-06 document available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/finance/db0506-07.asp .

Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum time is that callers to NHS 24 have to wait for their call to be answered, broken down by NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: In October 2004, the average time that callers waited for their call to be answered by NHS 24 was 54 seconds. The maximum was 15 minutes, 28 seconds. The information is not available broken down by NHS board area.

Learning Disabilities

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all NHS boards are now employing more people with learning disabilities, as recommended in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities .

Rhona Brankin: Information about the number of people with learning disabilities in their employment is not collected by NHS boards. From 2006, all public bodies will be required to report general figures on the number of people with disabilities they employ. This information will be gathered through self-declaration of disability.

Medical Research

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it offers to universities to carry out biomedical research.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and the UK Research Councils are responsible for the allocation of resources to universities for research.

  I also refer the member to the answer to S2W-11993 answered on 17 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to assist people with mental health illness to return to training, education and the work environment.

Rhona Brankin: Employment policy on job search and support is reserved to the UK government. Nevertheless, the Scottish Executive is aware that people with mental health problems are among the most disadvantaged groups when it comes to gaining access to education, training and in particular, employment. We therefore support people with experience of mental health problems to gain access to a range of services that offer avenues to education, training and employment.

  There are a range of agencies that provide services for people seeking to gain access to education, training and employment. It is a key aim of the Scottish Executive to make these agencies and the people who work within them aware of mental health issues. This to be achieved through delivery of training schemes such as the mental health first aid programme, being developed by the Executive’s National Programme for Improving Mental Health & Well-Being. One of the National Programme’s six priority areas is to improve mental health and well-being in employment and working life.

  In addition, the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 Section 26b places a duty on local authorities to provide training and assistance for people with mental health problems in obtaining and undertaking employment. The Scottish Executive anticipates working closely with local authorities on this issue.

NHS Hospitals

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the announcement by Malcolm Chisholm regarding the Queen Mother’s Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Yorkhill on 30 September 2004 ( Official Report , c 10753-54), whether these hospitals will remain at their current location.

Mr Andy Kerr: The location of the new development of maternity, paediatric and adult services in Glasgow will be determined through an option appraisal exercise which will be subject to approval by the Advisory Group led by Professor Andrew Calder.

Older People

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what support is available to victims of elder abuse.

Rhona Brankin: This is primarily a matter for local authorities, based on meeting individual need.

  The Executive funds Victim Support Scotland to provide information, advice and support to all victims of crime, and gives core funding to Age Concern Scotland, and its Elder Abuse project.

  The Executive has also announced it intends to bring forward legislation to offer additional protections for vulnerable adults, which will benefit victims of elder abuse, and improve inter-agency working in this field.

Older People

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors incidences of elder abuse.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive does not monitor incidences of elder abuse.

Pensions

Bristow Muldoon (Livingston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to consult interested parties on the reform of the Local Government Pension Scheme in Scotland.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA), which has regulatory responsibility for public service pension schemes in Scotland, has today issued a consultation paper on the review of the Local Government Pension Scheme in Scotland. Copies of which have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34460). The consultation paper provides details of a possible new scheme design and mirrors that for the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales. It is available on the SPPA website www.scotland.gov.uk/sppa . The consultation period will run until 20 May 2005.

Public Bodies

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when visitscotland.com is expected to become profitable.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: Visitscotland.com is a world-class information and booking facility which is playing a vital role in promoting tourism in Scotland. Like many new businesses of this kind, it was always anticipated that it would take a number of years before it made profits. The management of visitscotland.com is confident that it is on track to achieve profitability in the next three to four years.

Public Transport

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that there is no further reduction in rural bus services.

Nicol Stephen: The provision of local bus services is generally a matter for individual bus operators who use their commercial judgement as to the level and frequency of services to be provided. Beyond these commercial decisions, it is the responsibility of the relevant local transport authority to identify where there is a social need for a particular bus service and to make subsidy available, if it so chooses, so that appropriate additional services are provided.

  The Executive gives considerable funding to local authorities through Grant Aided Expenditure arrangements to support socially necessary bus services. In this financial year this amounts to £25.5 million and will rise to £26.5 million in 2005-06. However, decisions about how and where to allocate resources from within a council’s budget are ultimately for the council concerned.

  In addition to the funding allocated to local authorities for the provision of subsidised services, the Executive has recently launched a new grant scheme aimed at developing under-used and new local bus services. The Bus Route Development Grant Scheme will provide short-term funding to kick-start existing and new bus services with the potential to grow. Local authorities have been invited to develop bids in conjunction with local bus operators and around £20 million has been allocated over three years for these projects. The deadline for receipt of bids for the first round of Bus Route Development Grant was 31 July 2004. Officials are now considering the bids received and we hope to make an announcement on funding in the near future.

  The Executive is also helping to improve rural transport services through its Rural Transport Fund. The largest part of this funding is allocated to local authorities to help provide new and improved rural public transport services in their area. Since the fund’s introduction in 1998, £30.6 million has been distributed to local authorities. A further allocation of £6.1 million will be made in 2005-06. To date, over 400 new and enhanced rural services, mainly bus, have been introduced.

  The Rural Transport Fund is also providing support through the Rural Community Transport Initiative for rural community transport projects which are of particular benefit in areas where there are no scheduled bus services or where services are very limited. So far, £10.5 million has been awarded to 149 projects. These include community minibuses, dial-a-bus, taxi-buses and voluntary car schemes.

  The Executive is also providing a further £1.5 million between 2003-06 to pilot a small number of demand responsive transport projects in rural areas.

  I hope this is helpful.

Public Transport

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what the schedule is of regional events to consult on proposed transport partnerships during autumn/winter 2004, as set out in paragraph 28 of the Transport (Scotland) Bill policy memorandum.

Nicol Stephen: I met the NESTRANS and HITRANS boards, separately, on 25 October, representatives of SPT and WESTRANS on 1 November and attended the SESTRAN conference "The future delivery of transport in South-east Scotland" on 8 November. A number of meetings have also been held by Executive officials with individual local authorities.

Renewable Energy

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much, and what percentage of (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic heat was generated from renewable resources in each of the last three years.

Jim Wallace: Statistical information on energy usage in the UK is collated by the DTI. However, it is not possible to collect information specifically about the usage of heat generated from renewable sources either at the Scotland or the UK level.

  Figures are available for combined Heat and Power (CHP) generation in each region of the UK. DTI figures indicate that in Scotland, the heat generated by CHP stations was as follows:

  

2003
2002
2001


14,427GWh
14,180GWh
14,857GWh



  DTI statistics are limited in that they do not differentiate between heat from renewable and non-renewable sources. The DTI are investigating how the collation of statistics could be improved and more detailed information on a regional basis may be available in future.

Renewable Energy

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10967 by Allan Wilson on 15 October 2004, what specific objectives it is pursuing at the Transmission Issues Working Group, detailing progress made to date on achieving such objectives, and whether it will make the minutes of the group’s meetings publicly available.

Allan Wilson: Detailed information regarding the Transmission Issues Working Group’s objectives, work plan and progress are available on the Department of Trade and Industry’s website at:

  http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/renewables/technologies/transmission.shtml:

  Ofgem is currently consulting on Transmission Investment for Renewable Generation, following on from the Renewable Energy Transmission Study completed last year. Ofgem is due to make its decisions on the associated investment applications during December.

  Minutes of the group’s meetings are not published as they may contain sensitive commercial information. The group will continue to make regular annual reports.

Roads

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why it decided not to carry out improvements to the Ballinluig junction on the A9 until 2005-06, when the then Deputy Minister for Transport and Planning announced in April 2002 that funding for the junction upgrade would come from budgets in 2003-04 and 2004-05.

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-3056 by Nicol Stephen on 8 September 2004 ( Official Report , c 10055-10056), what steps have been taken to commence work on the upgrading of the A9 junction at Ballinluig.

Nicol Stephen: The preparation work for this scheme has been more complex than previously envisaged. Roads engineers are currently resolving a number of remaining design issues. I expect draft orders to be published next spring, which will allow affected parties and members of the public to comment on the proposals.

Roads

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out an appraisal of the impact of the condition of local roads on the economy.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has no plans to carry out such an appraisal. However, we fully appreciate the importance of local roads and their contribution to Scotland’s economic performance. This is reflected in our decision to allocate an additional £60 million per year from 2006-07 to help local authorities address the backlog of maintenance on the local road network.

Roads

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact on the roll-out of broadband of proposed changes to the legislative framework regulating street works in the Transport (Scotland) Bill.

Nicol Stephen: The legislative framework regulating road works in the Transport (Scotland) Bill concentrates on improving the co-ordination and reinstatement of road works carried out by all utility companies operating in Scotland. There will be no impact on utility companies involved in the roll-out of broadband if they work within the legislative framework.

Roads

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the contribution that broadband technology makes in respect of reducing congestion by empowering flexible and home-working initiatives, what consideration it has given to differentiating between minor street works typically carried out by telecommunication companies and major works in the Transport (Scotland) Bill.

Nicol Stephen: No distinction has been made in the Transport (Scotland) Bill between different types of road works.

  The introduction of broadband technology is a priority for the Executive and we are supporting its roll out to all communities in Scotland by the end of 2005.

Roads

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authority works will be subject to the same controls as utility works under the Transport (Scotland) Bill.

Nicol Stephen: The current proposals in the Bill only involve utility company road works. Roads authorities are already under a statutory duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain roads. They have a further duty under the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 to ensure best value.

Scottish Arts Council

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value of Scottish Arts Council awards has been in each of the last three years, broken down by city and shown also on a per capita basis.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: This is a matter for the Scottish Arts Council. The information requested is not held centrally.

Seeds (National List of Varieties) (Amendment) Regulations 2004

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Seeds (National List of Varieties) (Amendment) Regulations 2004 will be made.

Ross Finnie: These UK regulations were laid before both Houses of the UK Parliament on 11 November 2004. A copy of the instrument has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34509).

Sexual Health

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) girls and (b) boys under 16 were identified as having a sexually-transmitted infection in total and in each NHS board area in each of the last five years.

Mr Andy Kerr: The total number of laboratory reports of Chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhoea, and infectious syphilis among persons aged between 10 and 15 years by NHS board and gender is set out in the following table.

  While the rise in cases of Chlamydia, in particular, may be related to better ascertainment, it is against the background of the rise in sexually transmitted infections generally that the proposed National Sexual Health Strategy, which has been the subject of consultation, is being prepared. Other initiatives include Healthy Respect, the health demonstration project in Lothian, and the range of activities on sexual health carried out by NHS Health Scotland across its programme areas.

  

 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


 
M
F
Total*
M
F
Total*
M
F
Total*
M
F
Total*
M
F
Total*


Chlamydia
 


Argyll and Clyde
0
0
0
1
3
4
1
1
2
1
8
9
0
6
7


Ayrshire and Arran
1
5
6
0
2
2
1
5
6
2
10
12
0
9
9


Borders
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
0
1
1
0
3
3
0
9
9
0
12
12
1
10
11


Fife
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Forth Valley
0
2
2
2
3
5
0
5
5
0
7
7
0
2
3


Grampian
0
6
6
2
24
26
1
11
12
0
9
9
1
7
8


Greater Glasgow
0
7
7
0
7
7
0
1
1
0
12
12
1
32
33


Highland
0
5
5
0
4
4
1
6
7
0
17
17
1
5
6


Lanarkshire
0
6
6
0
6
6
0
5
5
2
5
7
0
10
10


Lothian
0
8
8
2
22
24
1
35
36
3
31
34
4
55
59


Orkney
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
0
0


Tayside
0
5
5
0
10
10
1
15
16
2
29
31
2
18
20


Western Isles
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Scotland
1
46
47
7
85
92
6
95
101
10
142
152
10
154
166


Genital herpes
 


Argyll and Clyde
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2


Ayrshire and Arran
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
1


Borders
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Fife
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Forth Valley
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1


Grampian
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0


Greater Glasgow
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1


Highland
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0


Lanarkshire
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1


Lothian
0
1
1
0
4
4
0
2
2
0
2
2
0
1
1


Orkney
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Tayside
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1


Western Isles
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Scotland
0
4
4
0
11
11
0
7
7
0
5
5
3
4
8


Gonorrhoea
 


Argyll and Clyde
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Ayrshire and Arran
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
1
1


Borders
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
3


Fife*
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Forth Valley
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0


Grampian
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Greater Glasgow
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1


Highland
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0


Lanarkshire
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
1


Lothian
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
3
3
2
0
2


Orkney
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Tayside
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
0
0


Western Isles
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Scotland
1
2
3
0
1
1
1
1
2
1
6
8
4
4
8



  Source: Health Protection Scotland – November 2004.

  Notes:

  Syphilis

  There were no cases of infectious syphilis reported among 10 to15 year olds between 1999 and 2003.

  *Totals include cases where gender was not known.

  *Age data for Fife is not available prior to 2004.

Smoking

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the number of cigarettes consumed per person, per year was in each year since 1999, calculated on the same basis as the World Health Organization’s European health for all database.

Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W -10305 on 27 September 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Tourism

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what penalties are applied when visitscotland.com is shown to be carrying information that is (a) obsolete, (b) incorrect and (c) materially incomplete.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: There are no penalty clauses in place for information shown on the visitscotland.com website which is obsolete, incorrect or materially incomplete. But visitScotland.com works hard to ensure that all of the information shown on its website is correct, and will immediately amend any inaccuracies brought to its attention.

Transport

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce specific measures to discourage single commuters travelling by car.

Nicol Stephen: There are a number of initiatives supported by the Executive which encourage sensible car use, including car sharing. These include the Choose Another Way campaign and the development of workplace and school travel plans, as well as investment in public transport improvements. The Executive is also considering the issue of single occupancy vehicles as part of phase one of its tolled bridges review.

Wildlife

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many licences for killing seals have been granted in each year since 2000 and to whom.

Lewis Macdonald: The following table provides details of the number of licences granted for killing seals from 2000 until 2003.

  

Year
No of Licences
Issued To


2000
12
10 to DSFBs, 2 Scientific (FRS Marine Lab and SMRU)


2001
12
9 to DSFBs, 2 Scientific (FRS Marine Lab and SMRU) and 1 to Operator of Salmon Fishery


2002
13
10 to DSFBs, 2 Scientific (FRS Marine Lab and SMRU) and 1 to Operator of Salmon Fishery


2003
13
9 to DSFBs, 2 Scientific (FRS Marine Lab and SMRU) and 2 to Operators of Salmon Fisheries



  Notes:

  DSFB – District Salmon Fishery Board.

  FRS - Fisheries Research Services.

  SMRU – Sea Mammal Research Unit.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Services

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether the Parliament’s IT system can be modified to allow members to access streaming video of debates and committees at Westminster and, if so, whether there are any plans to modify the system in this way.

John Scott (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): The Business Information Technology Office is currently undertaking a project to deliver web streaming to Parliament network users. The first stage of this project is an investigation in to the technical options available to facilitate an effective and secure delivery of web streaming across the Parliament network whilst managing the associated risks. This investigation is due to report back by end of January 2005 and will include access to the streaming video produced by Westminster as part of the scope of the study.

Parliamentary Services

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what estimate it has made of the percentage of spam emails that are still breaking through the Parliament’s firewall.

John Scott (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): The manufacturer of the spam filtering solution deployed by the Parliament estimates that the product will filter more than 95% of all spam email.